Conveyor lubricants including emulsion of a lipophilic compound and an emulsifier and/or an anionic surfactant and methods employing them

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to conveyor lubricant compositions including an emulsion of a lipophilic compound and also including an emulsifier and/or an anionic surfactant. The present invention also relates to methods employing such lubricant compositions. In an embodiment, the method includes applying the present lubricant composition to a conveyor with a non-energized nozzle.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.16/281,733, filed Feb. 21, 2019, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,844,310, issuedNov. 24, 2020, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.15/492,459, filed Apr. 20, 2017, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,273,430, issuedApr. 30, 2019, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.14/216,418, filed Mar. 17, 2014, issued as U.S. Pat. No. 9,783,760 onOct. 10, 2017, which is a U.S. application Ser. No. 11/854,237 filedSep. 12, 2007, issued as U.S. Pat. No. 8,716,2000 on May 6, 2014, whichclaims benefit of Provisional Application No. 60/825,546, filed Sep. 13,2006, which applications are incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to conveyor lubricant compositionsincluding an emulsion of a lipophilic compound and also including anemulsifier and/or an anionic surfactant. The present invention alsorelates to methods employing such lubricant compositions. In anembodiment, the method includes applying the present lubricantcomposition to a conveyor with a non-energized nozzle.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In commercial container filling or packaging operations, the containerstypically are moved by a conveying system at very high rates of speed.Typically, a concentrated lubricant is diluted with water to form anaqueous dilute lubricant solution (i.e., dilution ratios of 100:1 to500:1), and copious amounts of aqueous dilute lubricant solutions aretypically applied to the conveyor or containers using spray or pumpingequipment. These lubricant solutions permit high-speed operation of theconveyor and limit marring of the containers or labels, but also havesome disadvantages. First, dilute aqueous lubricants typically requireuse of large amounts of water on the conveying line, which must then bedisposed of or recycled, and which causes an unduly wet environment nearthe conveyor line. Second, some aqueous lubricants can promote thegrowth of microbes. Third, by requiring dilution of the concentratedlubricant dilution errors can occur, leading to variations and errors inconcentration of the aqueous dilute lubricant solution. Finally, byrequiring water from the plant, variations in the water can havenegative side effects on the dilute lubricant solution. For example,alkalinity in the water can lead to environmental stress cracking in PETbottles.

When an aqueous dilute lubricant solution is used, it is typicallyapplied at least half of the time the conveyor is running, and usuallyit is applied continuously. By running the aqueous dilute lubricantsolution continuously, more lubricant is used than is necessary, and thelubricant concentrate drums have to be switched out more often thannecessary.

“Dry lubes” have been described in the past as a solution to thedisadvantages of dilute aqueous lubricants. A “dry lube” historicallyhas referred to a lubricant composition with less than 50% water thatwas applied to a container or conveyor without dilution. However, thisapplication typically required special dispensing equipment and nozzlesand energized nozzles in particular. Energized nozzles refer to nozzleswhere the lubricant stream is broken into a spray of fine droplets bythe use of energy, which may include high pressures, compressed air, orsonication to deliver the lubricant. Silicone materials have been themost popular “dry lube”. However, silicone is primarily effective atlubricating plastics such as PET bottles, and has been observed to beless effective at lubricating on glass or metal containers, particularlyon a metal surface. If a plant is running more than one type ofcontainer on a line, the conveyor lubricant will have to be switchedbefore the new type of container can be run. Alternatively, if a plantis running different types of containers on different lines, the plantwill have to stock more than one type of conveyor lubricant. Bothscenarios are time consuming and inefficient for the plant.

It has been observed in the field that traditional glass and metallubricants do not work well (i.e. do not produce an acceptable lowcoefficient of friction) when run in a dry mode, that is when appliedfor a period of time, and then turned off for a period of time whilecontainers and packages continue to be moved along the conveyor surface.

Emulsions containing lipophilic oils including triglycerides have beenshown to provide advantageous lubrication and cooling as a metal workingfluid for processes such as rolling, forging, blanking, bending,stamping, drawing, stretch forming, milling, cutting, punching,spinning, extruding, coining, hobbing, swaging, and the like. Theseemulsions can even be used as dried on metal to give an opaque whitefilm with an average coating weight of approximately 100 to 200 mg/ft²(approximately 1 to 2 microns average coating thickness). Metal workingfluids are typically tested in the presence of copious amounts oflubricant as may be provided by high volume spraying or submersion,which conditions are not relevant to lubricating conveyors.

Accordingly there remains a need for improved conveyor lubricants thatcan be employed “dry” and that will provide effective lubrication evenafter contact with water or another aqueous composition (such as abeverage).

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to conveyor lubricant compositionsincluding an emulsion of a lipophilic compound and also including anemulsifier and/or an anionic surfactant. The present invention alsorelates to methods employing such lubricant compositions. In anembodiment, the method includes applying the present lubricantcomposition to a conveyor with a non-energized nozzle.

In an embodiment, the present method includes a method for lubricatingthe passage of a container along a conveyor. This method can includeapplying an lubricant composition to at least a portion of acontainer-contacting surface of the conveyor or to at least a portion ofa conveyor-contacting surface of the container. This method can employ alubricant composition including about 3 about 40 wt-% lipophiliccompound; about 0.05 about 15 wt-% emulsifier, anionic surfactant, ormixture thereof; and about 55 to about 97 wt-% water. The lubricantcomposition can be applied diluted or undiluted. In an embodiment, thelubricant composition is applied undiluted.

Applying can include spraying the composition through a non-energizednozzle. In an embodiment, this method includes spraying an undilutedlubricant composition through a non-energized nozzle onto at least aportion of a container-contacting surface of the conveyor or to at leasta portion of a conveyor-contacting surface of the container.

The present invention also relates to a conveyor lubricant composition.The composition can include lipophilic compound, anionic surfactant, andwater. In an embodiment, the composition includes about 3 about 40 wt-%lipophilic compound, about 0.05 about 15 wt-% anionic surfactant, andabout 55 to about 97 wt-% water. The lipophilic compound can include orbe triglyceride. The lipophilic compound can include or betri(caprate/caprylate) ester of glycerine; caprylate, caprate, cocoatetriglyceride; soyate fatty acid ester of sucrose; diheptanoate ester ofpoly(ethylene glycol); or trimethylol propane trioleate. The anionicsurfactant can include or be lecithin, glycerol monostearatemonocitrate, oleyl-5EO-phosphate ester, short chain homopolymer ofricinoleic, or oleic acid.

The composition can also include emulsifier. The emulsifier can includeor be lecithin, ethoxysorbitan monostearate, glycerol monooleate, 20mole ethoxylated castor oil, or mixture thereof.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Definitions

As used herein, weight percent (wt-%), percent by weight, % by weight,and the like are synonyms that refer to the concentration of a substanceas the weight of that substance divided by the weight of the compositionand multiplied by 100. Unless otherwise specified, the quantity of aningredient refers to the quantity of active ingredient.

As used herein, the term “about” modifying the quantity of an ingredientin the compositions of the invention or employed in the methods of theinvention refers to variation in the numerical quantity that can occur,for example, through typical measuring and liquid handling proceduresused for making concentrates or use solutions in the real world; throughinadvertent error in these procedures; through differences in themanufacture, source, or purity of the ingredients employed to make thecompositions or carry out the methods; and the like. The term about alsoencompasses amounts that differ due to different equilibrium conditionsfor a composition resulting from a particular initial mixture. Whetheror not modified by the term “about”, the claims include equivalents tothe quantities.

By lipophilic compound, it is meant compounds which are insoluble inwater and when mixed with water exist in a separate phase.

A colloid is defined by the Houghton-Mifflin American Heritage®Dictionary of the English Language as a system in which finely dividedparticles, which are approximately 10 to 10,000 angstroms in size, aredispersed within a continuous medium in a manner that prevents them frombeing filtered easily or settled rapidly.

The Present Conveyor Lubricants and Methods

The present invention relates to conveyor lubricant compositionsincluding an emulsion of a lipophilic compound and also including anemulsifier and/or an anionic surfactant. The present invention alsorelates to methods employing such lubricant compositions. In anembodiment, the method includes applying the present lubricantcomposition to a conveyor through a non-energized nozzle.

Conveyor lubricants are applied to conveyors (e.g., conveyor belts madeof stainless steel or of plastic (such as Delrin) wet or dry. Wetapplication employs nearly constant spraying of the conveyor with adilute aqueous lubricant composition. Dry application employsintermittent application of a concentrate lubricant composition or alubricant composition that includes less water than one used for wetapplication. A conveyor lubricant applied by the dry method shouldprovide effective lubrication for the entire period between theintermittent applications. The dry applied conveyor lubricant can alsoadvantageously provide effective lubrication even after water or anaqueous composition (e.g., a beverage) is applied to the lubricatedconveyor. Water can contact the lubricated conveyor by spraying or byflow from rinsing of a beverage container. An aqueous composition, suchas a beverage, can contact the lubricated conveyor, for example, byspilling.

Surprisingly, the present inventors have discovered that conveyorlubricant compositions including an emulsion of a lipophilic compoundand also including an emulsifier and/or an anionic surfactant areeffective as dry lubricants and are effective for lubricating a conveyorconveying glass containers. For example, embodiments of the presentconveyor lubricant compositions including an emulsion of a lipophiliccompound and also including an emulsifier and/or an anionic surfactantprovide effective conveyor lubrication when applied by the dry methodeven after (e.g., for a longer time after) water or aqueous compositionhas been applied to the lubricated conveyor. This can be viewed as thewater or aqueous composition failing to remove the lubricant from theconveyor.

In certain embodiments, the present emulsions can create a long-lastinglubricant film on the conveyor surface, that is resistant against wateror beverage spillage for a longer period of time than conventionalconveyor lubricants (e.g. glycerin). That is, the coefficient offriction increases only slowly to unacceptable levels such that the nextof intermittent applications of lubricant occurs before the coefficientof friction increases to an unacceptable level.

Gaining this resistance can be referred to as “seasoning.” A conveyorbelt that is relatively more seasoned will show less of a COF increasefrom water spraying or beverage spilling than a belt that is relativelyless seasoned. Such seasoning, increased resistance to exposure to wateror beverage, or advantageous lubrication after water contact can beevaluated. Such evaluation can include, for example, measuring the COFwhile lubricant is being applied to the belt, subsequently measuring COFduring a period when lubricant is not being applied, and finally duringor after a period of water spraying (during which lubricant is not beingapplied). Seasoning, increased resistance, or advantageous lubricationwill be evidenced by an increase in COF after water spraying that issmaller than an increase employing a control conventional lubricant. Inan embodiment, when tested by the short track testing method describedin the present examples, the COF using a composition according to thepresent invention remains below 0.4 even after spraying of water.

Surprisingly, it has been found that the seasoning properties of alipophilic emulsion lubricant is improved by the addition of an anionicsurfactant. Generally it is considered that anionic surfactants improvethe detergency of compositions, that is, they facilitate removal ofsoils and especially lipophilic soils such as oils and greases. Anionicsurfactants are used extensively in detergent systems for the purpose ofimproving the removal of lipophilic soils from surfaces and textiles.Therefore it would be expected that incorporation of anionic surfactantsinto a lubricant composition including a lipophilic emulsion wouldfacilitate removing the lubricant from a conveyor surface upon contactwith water. On this basis, it would be expected that a lipophilicemulsion lubricant compositions including anionic surfactant should givepoorer seasoning properties relative to a composition without anionicsurfactants. However it has been found that anionic surfactants cangreatly increase the seasoning properties of present lubricants and themaintenance of effective lubrication after water spraying or rinsing.

Embodiments of the present compositions include water, for example,greater than or equal to about 50 wt-% water. Such embodiments canprovide several advantageous properties. Including water in theconcentrate composition can reduce problems associated with dilute(e.g., wet) lubricants. For example, the composition can be appliedundiluted with standard application equipment (i.e., non-energizednozzles). By including some water, the composition can be applied “neat”or undiluted upon application resulting in one or more of: 1) drierlubrication of the conveyors and containers; 2) a cleaner and drierconveyor line and working area; or 3) reduced lubricant usage, which canreduce waste, cleanup, and disposal problems. Further, adding water tothe composition and not requiring dilution upon application, dilutionproblems can be avoided along with problems that can be created by water(i.e., microorganisms and environmental stress cracking).

In an embodiment, the present compositions exhibit a decrease in COFafter the composition is applied to the conveyor and the compositiondries on the conveyor. In an embodiment, the present compositionsmaintain effective lubrication after the composition is applied to theconveyor and the composition dries on the conveyor. The inventionprovides a lubricant coating that reduces the coefficient of friction ofcoated conveyor parts and containers and thereby facilitates movement ofcontainers along a conveyor line.

In an embodiment, the present lubricant compositions is compatible withnon-refillable PET bottles useful for carbonated soft drinks asdetermined using a PET Stress Crack Test and with non-refillable barrierbottles used for beer as determined by a modified PET Stress Crack Test(see, e.g., Example 7). For example, the present composition can resultin cracking of 4 or fewer bottles out of 56 tested in such a test. In anembodiment, the present composition can result in cracking of 4 or fewerbottles out of 96 tested in such a test.

In an embodiment, the present lubricant compositions is compatible withrefillable PET bottles useful for carbonated soft drinks as determinedusing a PET Stress Crack Test for refillable bottles (see, e.g., Example8). For example, the present composition can result in a grade in such atest of A or B. In an example, the present composition can result in agrade in such a test of A.

The Present Lubricant Compositions

The present invention relates to conveyor lubricant compositionsincluding an emulsion of a lipophilic compound and also including anemulsifier and/or an anionic surfactant. In an embodiment, the presentconveyor lubricant composition includes an emulsion of a lipophiliccompound and an anionic surfactant. In an embodiment, the presentconveyor lubricant composition includes an emulsion of a lipophiliccompound, an anionic surfactant, and an emulsifier. In an embodiment,the present composition is of viscosity low enough that it can beapplied to a conveyor with a non-energized nozzle. In an embodiment, thepresent composition includes greater than or equal to 50% water and neednot be or is not diluted prior to applying it to a conveyor or containersurface. In an embodiment, the present composition includes greater thanor equal to 50% of a mixture of water and a water miscible compound oflow viscosity, such as ethanol.

The lubricant composition can be a liquid or semi-solid at the time ofapplication. In an embodiment, the lubricant composition is a liquidhaving a viscosity that will permit it to be pumped and readily appliedto a conveyor or containers, and that will facilitate rapid filmformation whether or not the conveyor is in motion. The lubricantcomposition can be formulated so that it exhibits shear thinning orother pseudo-plastic behavior, manifested by a higher viscosity (e.g.,non-dripping behavior) when at rest, and a much lower viscosity whensubjected to shear stresses such as those provided by pumping, sprayingor brushing the lubricant composition. This behavior can be broughtabout by, for example, including appropriate types and amounts ofthixotropic fillers (e.g., treated or untreated fumed silicas) or otherrheology modifiers in the lubricant composition.

The lipophilic composition including lipophilic compound and emulsifierand/or anionic surfactant is “water-miscible”, that is, it issufficiently water-soluble or water-dispersible so that when added towater at the desired use level it forms a stable solution, emulsion orsuspension. The desired use level will vary according to the particularconveyor or container application, and according to the type oflipophilic compound, emulsifier, and/or anionic surfactant employed.

In an embodiment, the present lubricant can be removed from the conveyorsurface by cleaning the surface with a water-based cleaning agent. Thatis, it is sufficiently soluble or dispersible in water so that thecoating can be removed from the container or conveyor using conventionalaqueous cleaners, without the need for high pressure, mechanicalabrasion or the use of aggressive cleaning chemicals. However, thelubricant should not be so water-soluble that it runs off the conveyorwhen it encounters water or spilled beverage normally present during thebottling process.

The present lubricant can include amounts of lipophilic compound,emulsifier and water or hydrophilic diluent such as: about 0.1 to about30 wt-% of the lipophilic compound (exclusive of any water or otherhydrophilic diluent that may be present if the lipophilic compound is,for example, an emulsion), about 0.05 to about 15 wt-% of theemulsifier, and about 55 to about 99.85 wt-% of water or hydrophilicdiluent. The lubricant composition can contain about 0.2 to about 20wt-% of the lipophilic compound, about 0.1 to about 10 wt-% of theemulsifier, and about 70 to about 99.7 wt-% of water or hydrophilicdiluent. The lubricant composition can contain about 0.5 to about 15wt-% of the lipophilic compound, about 0.2 to about 8 wt-% of theemulsifier, and about 77 to about 99.3 wt-% of water or hydrophilicdiluent.

The Lipophilic Compound

The compositions of the present invention include a lipophilic compound.In an embodiment, the lipophilic compound is a water insoluble organiccompound including two or more ester linkages. In an embodiment, thelipophilic compound is a water insoluble organic compound includingthree or more oxygen atoms. In an embodiment, the lipophilic compound isa water insoluble organic compound including three or more oxygen atoms,one ester group (which can include two of these oxygen atoms) and one ormore remaining or free hydroxyl groups. In an embodiment, the lipophiliccompound is an ester of a long chain carboxylic acid (e.g., a fattyacid) with a short chain (i.e., 5 or fewer carbon atoms) alcohol (e.g.,methanol). In an embodiment, the lipophilic compound is an esterincluding a di-, tri-, or poly-hydric alcohol, such as glycerol, with 2or more of the hydroxyl groups each being coupled to a carboxylic acidas an ester group.

Such lipophilic compounds include esters of monocarboxylic fatty acidsand di- and poly-carboxylic acid compounds. Suitable fatty acidcomponents of the ester include octanoic acid, nonanoic acid, decanoicacid, undecanoic acid, dodecanoic acid, palmitic acid, stearic acid,oleic acid, or mixture thereof. Suitable di- and poly carboxylic acidcomponents of the ester include adipic acid, succinic acid, glutaricacid, sebacic acid, phthalic acid, trimellitic acid, and mixturesthereof. In esters with di-, tri-, or poly-hydric alcohols suitablecarboxylic acid components include those listed above and also, forexample, monocarboxylic acid components such as butanoic acid, hexanoicacid, heptanoic acid, or mixture thereof.

The esters can include any of a variety of alcohol moieties, such asmonohydric fatty alcohols and di- and polyhydric compounds. Suitablemonohydric alcohol components of the ester include primary aliphaticalcohols, such as aliphatic hydrocarbon alcohols, for example, methanol,ethanol, and linear and branched primary alcohols with 3 to 25 carbonatoms. Suitable di- and poly-hydric alcohol components of the esterinclude those containing from 2 to about 8 hydroxy groups. such asalkylene glycols, e.g., ethylene glycol, diethylene glycol, neopentylglycol, tetraethylene glycol, or mixture thereof. Additional suitablealcohol components of the ester include glycerine, erythritol, mannitol,sorbitol, glucose, trimethylolpropane (TMP), pentaerythritol,dipentaerythritol, sorbitan, or mixture thereof.

The ester can include any of a variety of carboxylic acid and alcoholresidues that provide a water insoluble (not capable to be dissolved inwater to give clear solutions at concentrations greater than about 0.1%by weight at room temperature) ester that is a liquid, semi-solid, or alow melting solid. In lubricant compositions of the present invention,the lipophilic compound can be the dispersed phase in a colloidaldispersion.

Suitable lipophilic compounds include a triglyceride, a partialglyceride, a phospholipid, and the like.

The term triglycerides refers to substances having the general formula:

in which R³, R⁴, and R⁵ are independently linear or branched, saturatedand/or unsaturated, optionally hydroxy- and/or epoxy-substitutedresidues with 6 to 22, e.g., 12 to 18 carbon atoms.

The triglycerides can be of natural origin or produced synthetically. Inan embodiment, the triglyceride has linear and saturated alkyleneresidues with chain length between 6 and 22 carbon atoms. They areoptionally hydroxy- and/or epoxy-functionalized substances, such as e.g.castor oil or hydrogenated castor oil, epoxidized castor oil,ring-opening products of epoxidized castor oils of varying epoxy valueswith water and addition products of on average 1 to 100, e.g., 20 to 80mol, or even 40 to 60 mol to these cited triglycerides.

Suitable triglycerides include those sold under the trade names Myritol331, Myritol 312, Myritol 318, Terradrill V988, the Terradrill EM, whichare commercially available from Cognis; and Miglyol 812 N and Miglyol812, which are commercially available from Sasol.

Partial glycerides are monoglycerides, diglycerides and blends thereof,which may also contain small quantities of triglyceride. Suitablepartial glycerides can have the general formula:

in which R⁶, R⁷ and R⁸ independently represent a linear or branched,saturated and/or unsaturated residue with 6 to 22, for example, 12 to 18carbon atoms or H with the proviso that at least one of the two residuesR⁷ and R⁸ is H.

Suitable monoglycerides, diglycerides, or triglycerides include estersof caproic acid, caprylic acid, 2-ethylhexanoic acid, capric acid,lauric acid, isotridecanoic acid, myristic acid, palmitic acid,palmitoleic acid, stearic acid, isostearic acid, oleic acid, elaidicacid, petroselinic acid, linoleic acid, linolenic acid, eleostearicacid, arachic acid, gadoleic acid, behenic acid, erucic acid, ormixtures thereof. Suitable glycerides include lauric acid glycerides,palmitic acid glycerides, stearic acid glycerides, isostearic acidglycerides, oleic acid glycerides, behenic acid glycerides, erucic acidglycerides, or mixtures thereof and include those displaying amonoglyceride content in the from about 50 to about 95 wt-%, forexample, about 60 to about 90 wt-%.

Suitable phospholipids include, for example, phosphatidic acids, reallecithins, cardiolipins, lysophospholipids, lysolecithins, plasmalogens,phosphosphingolipids, sphingomyelins. Suitable phospholipids includephosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylinositol, orN-acylphosphatidylethanolamine, or mixture thereof. Suitablephospholipids include lecithins. Types of lecithin include crudelecithins which have been deoiled, fractionated, spray-dried,acetylated, hydrolyzed, hydroxylated, or hydrogenated. They areavailable commercially. Suitable lecithins include soybean lecithins. Asused herein, the general term “lecithin” includes phospholipids.

Phosphatidic acids are glycerol derivatives which have been esterifiedin the 1-sn- and 2-position with fatty acids (1-sn-position: mostlysaturated, 2-position: mostly mono- or polyunsaturated), but on atom3-sn with phosphoric acid. The phosphate radical can be esterified withan amino alcohol, such as choline (lecithin=3-sn-phophatidylcholine),2-aminoethanol (ethanolamine), L-serine(cephalin=3-sn-phosphatidylethanolamine or sn-phosphatidyl-L-serine),with myoinositol to give the phosphoinositides[1-(3-sn-phosphatidyl)-D-myoinositols], with glycerol to givephosphatidyl glycerols.

Cardiolipins (1,3-bisphosphatidyl glycerols) are phospholipids of twophosphatidic acids linked via glycerol. Lysophospholipids are obtainedwhen an acyl radical is cleaved off by a phospholipase A fromphospholipids (e.g. lysolecithins). The phospholipids also includeplasmalogens in which an aldehyde (in the form of an enol ether) isbonded in the 1-position instead of a fatty acid. Phosphosphingolipidsare based on the basic structure of sphingosine or elsephytosphingosine.

Suitable phospholides for use in the present compositions include thosesold under the trade names Lipoid S 20 S, Lipoid S 75, Lipoid S 100,Lipoid S 100-3, Lipoid S 75-3N, Lipoid SL 80, and Lipoid SL 80-3, whichare commercially available from Lipoid; Phospholipon 85 G, Phospholipon80, Phospholipon 80 H, Phospholipon 90 G, Phospholipon 90 H,Phospholipon 90 NG, Phospholipon 100 H, Phosal 35B, Phosal 50G, Phosal50SA, Phosal 53MCT, and Phosal 75SA, which are commercially availablefrom Phospholipon, Cologne Germany; Alcolec Z-3 available from AmericanLecthin Company, Oxford Conn.; Emulfluid F30, Emulfluid, Lipotin NE,Lipotin 100, Lipotin SB, Lipotin 100J, Lipotin H, Lipotin NA, LipotinAH, and Lipopur, which are commercially available from Cargill (DegussaTexturant Systems); Terradrill V 408 and Terradrill V 1075, which arecommercially available from Cognis; Yellowthin 100, Yellowthin 200,Lecistar Sun 100, and Yellowthin Sun 200, which are commerciallyavailable from Sternchemie; and Lanchem PE-130K available from LambentTechnologies, Gurnee, Ill.

Suitable lipophilic compounds include: a partial fatty acid ester ofglycerine; a partial or higher fatty acid ester of sorbitan; a fattyacid diester of a glycol or a poly(alkylene glycol) compound; a fattyacid ester of a polyol such as sucrose, pentaerythritol ordipentaerythritol; a methyl ester of a fatty acid; a fatty alcohol esterof benzoic acid; a fatty alcohol ester of phthalic acid or isophthalicacid; lanolin or a lanolin derivative; a fatty acid ester of trimethylolpropane, or a mixture thereof.

Suitable partial esters of glycerine with linear or branched long chain(greater than about 8 carbon atoms) fatty acids include glycerolmonooleate, glycerol monoricinoleate, glycerol monostearate, andglycerol monotallate (e.g. Lumulse GMO-K, Lumulse GMR-K, Lumulse GMS-K,and Lumulse GMT-K, available from Lambent Technologies, Gurnee Ill. andTegin OV, available from Goldschmidt Chemical Corporation, Hopewell,Va.), or a mixture thereof. Suitable partial glycerides also includethose sold under the tradenames Cutina EGMS, Cutina GMS-SE, Cutina GMSV, Cutina MD, or Cutina AGS, which are commercially available fromCognis.

Suitable partial and higher sorbitan esters, include for example, di- ortri-esters with linear or branched long chain (greater than about 8carbon atoms) fatty acids, such as such as sorbitan tristearate, andsorbitan triooleate, and sorbitan sesquioleate (e.g., Lumisorb STS K,available from Lambent Technologies, Gurnee Ill., and Liposorb TO andLiposorb SQO, available from Lipo Chemicals, Paterson N.J.), or amixture of these compounds.

Suitable diesters of glycol or poly(alkylene glycol) compounds withlinear or branched long chain (greater than about 8 carbon atoms) fattyacids include neopentyl glycol dicaprylate/dicaprate and PEG-4diheptanoate (e.g. Liponate NPCG-2 and Liponate 2-DH, available fromLipo Chemicals, Paterson N.J.).

Suitable fatty acid esters of polyols include polyol fatty acidpolyesters, which term refers to a polyol that has two or more of itshydroxyl groups esterified with linear or branched long chain (greaterthan about 8 carbon atoms) fatty acid groups. For example, the polyolcan be esterified with four or more fatty acid groups. Suitable polyolfatty acid polyesters include sucrose polyesters having on average atleast four, e.g., at least about five, ester linkages per molecule ofsucrose; the fatty acid chains can have from about eight to abouttwenty-four carbon atoms. Other suitable polyol fatty acid polyestersare esterified linked alkoxylated glycerins, including those includingpolyether glycol linking segments and those including polycarboxylatelinking segments. Suitable polyols include aliphatic or aromaticcompounds containing at least two free hydroxyl groups, and can includebackbones such as saturated and unsaturated straight and branch chainlinear aliphatics; saturated and unsaturated cyclic aliphatics,including heterocyclic aliphatics; or mononuclear or polynucleararomatics, including heterocyclic aromatics. Polyols includecarbohydrates and non-toxic glycols. Suitable fatty acid esters ofsucrose include the soyate fatty acid ester of sucrose and the stearatefatty acid ester of sucrose (e.g. Sefose 1618S and Sefose 1618H,available from Proctor and Gamble Chemicals, Cincinnati Ohio). Suitablefatty acid esters of pentaerythritol and dipentaerythritol includepentaerythrityl tetracaprylate/tetracaprate and dipentaerythritylhexacaprylate/hexacaprate (e.g. Liponate PE-810 and Liponate DPC-6available from Lipo Chemicals, Paterson N.J.).

Suitable methyl esters of fatty acids include methyl palmitate andmethyl stearate (e.g. CE-1695 and CE-1897, available from Proctor andGamble Chemicals, Cincinnati Ohio).

Suitable fatty alcohol esters of benzoic acid include C12-C15 alkylbenzoate (e.g. Liponate NEB, available from Lipo Chemicals, PatersonN.J.).

Suitable fatty alcohol esters of phthalic acid or isophthalic acidinclude dioctyl phthalate.

Suitable fatty alcohol esters of trimellitic acid include tridecyltrimellitate (e.g. Liponate TDTM, available from Lipo Chemicals,Paterson N.J.).

Suitable lanolins and lanolin derivatives include hydrogentated lanolinand lanolin alcohol (e.g Technical Grade Lanolin, Ritawax, and Supersatavailable from Rita Corporation, Crystal Lake Ill.).

Suitable fatty acid esters of trimethylol propane include trimethylolpropane trioleate and trimethylol propane tricaprate/caprylate (e.g.Synative ES 2964 available from Cognis and Priolube 3970 available fromUniqema New Castle, Del.).

In an embodiment, the lipophilic compound is or includes mineral oil.

In an embodiment, the lipophilic compound is or includes a long chain(greater than about 8 carbon atoms) fatty acid compound including afatty acid derived from the saponification of vegetable or animal fat oran oil such as tall oil fatty acid, coconut fatty acid, oleic acid,ricinoleic acid, or carboxylic acid terminated short chain polymers ofhydroxyl functional fatty acids such as ricinoleic acid and saltsthereof (e.g. Hostagliss L4 available from Clariant Corporation, MountHolly N.J.), or a mixture of these compounds. Suitable fatty acidlipophilic compounds include caproic acid, lauric acid, myristic acid,oleic acid, stearic acid (e.g. C-698, C-1299, C-1495, OL-800 and V-1890,available from Proctor and Gamble Chemicals, Cincinnati Ohio), or amixture thereof.

Exemplified lipophilic compounds include tri(caprate/caprylate) ester ofglycerine; caprylate, caprate, cocoate triglyceride; soyate fatty acidester of sucrose; diheptanoate ester of poly(ethylene glycol); andtrimethylol propane trioleate.

The Anionic Surfactant

The present composition can include any of a variety of anionicsurfactants that are effective to increase the ability of the lipophilicemulsion to withstand application of water to the conveyor. Suitableanionic surfactants include phosphate esters and carboxylic acids.

Phosphate esters have the acid —OH groups in a phosphoric acid moietycovalently bonded to a hydroxyl group of an alcohol moiety. Sinceorthophosphoric acid has three —OH groups, it can form an ester withone, two, or three alcohol molecules to form a mono-, di-, or triester.Phosphate esters including as the alcohol moiety an amine or quaternaryammonium functional alcohols are zwitterionic compounds that can beemployed as the anionic surfactant in the composition present invention.Such phosphate esters include phosphatidyl ethanolamine compounds andphosphatidyl choline compounds. Lecithin is a well known emulsifiercomposed primarily of phosphatidyl choline compounds. These phosphateesters with no net charge are useful in the present invention. Otherphosphorus containing compounds that can be used in the presentcompositions include acid phosphates, phosphonates, phosphate esters ofethoxylated long chain alcohols, and phosphate esters of ethoxylatedalkyl phenol compounds.

Suitable carboxylic acid surfactants include long chain carboxylic acidcompounds. Long chain carboxylic acid compounds include fatty acidsderived from the saponification of vegetable and animal fats, carboxylicacid terminated short chain polymers of hydroxy functional fatty acidssuch as ricinoleic acid, ethoxylated fatty acids, and other derivativesof fatty acids. Carboxylic acid surfactants with no net charge areuseful in the present invention. For example, long chain carboxylic acidcompounds are useful at a pH at which the carboxyl group is almostcompletely or completely protonated (not ionized).

Anionic surfactants useful in the present invention include:

(1) phospholipid compounds such as lecithin, hydroxylated lecithin, andphosphate ester derivatives of mono- and di-esters of glycerine withlinear or branched long chain (greater than about 8 carbon atoms) fattyacids and salts thereof (e.g. Phospholipon 80 and Alcolec Z-3 availablefrom American Lecithin Company, Oxford Conn. or Phospholipid, CologneGermay and Lanchem PE-130K available from Lambent Technologies, GurneeIll.), or a mixture of these surfactants;

(2) phosphate ester compounds formed from esterification of phosphoricacid with linear or branched long chain (greater than about 8 carbonatoms) fatty alcohols, alcohol ethoxylates, alcohol propoxylates,alcohol ethoxylate propoxylates and ethoxylated linear and branchedalkylphenol compounds and salts thereof such as poly(ethylene oxide)oleyl ether phosphate and a poly(ethylene oxide) C8-C10 alkyl etherphosphate (e.g. Rhodafac PA/32, Rhodafac PA/35, and Rhodafac RA-600,available from Rhodia, Cranbury N.J.), or a mixture of thesesurfactants;

(3) long chain (greater than about 8 carbon atoms) fatty acid compoundsincluding fatty acids derived from the saponification of vegetable andanimal fats and oils such as tall oil fatty acid, coconut fatty acid,oleic acid, ricinoleic acid, and carboxylic acid terminated short chain(e.g., n=4) polymers of hydroxyl functional fatty acids such asricinoleic acid and salts thereof (e.g. Hostagliss L4 available fromClariant Corporation, Mount Holly N.J.), or a mixture of thesesurfactants;

(4) long chain (greater than about 8 carbon atoms) alkyl sulfonate andsulfate compounds such as octanesulfonic acid, sulfuric acid ester withlauryl alcohol, sulfuric acid ester with lauryl alcohol and saltsthereof (e.g. Texapon K-12G and Texapon K-14S available from CognisNorth America, Cincinnati Ohio), or a mixture of these surfactants;

(5) sulfonated succinic acid esters with long chain (greater than about8 carbon atoms) alcohols and ethoxylated long chain alcohols such as thebis(2-ethylhexyl) ester of sulfosuccinic acid and the laurylpoly(ethylene oxide) ester of sulfosuccinic acid (e.g. Aerosol OT,available from Cytec Industries, Inc. Paterson N.J. and Texapon SB 3KCavailable from Cognis North America, Cincinnati Ohio), or a mixture ofthese surfactants;

(6) sulfuric acid esters of linear or branched long chain (greater thanabout 8 carbon atoms) alcohol ethoxylates, alcohol propoxylates, alcoholethoxylate propoxylates and ethoxylated linear and branched alkylphenolcompounds and salts thereof such as sodium dodecylpoly(oxyethylene)sulfate (e.g., Texapon N70 available from Cognis North America,Cincinnati Ohio), or a mixture of these surfactants;

(7) sulfonates of benzene, cumene, toluene and alkyl substitutedaromatic compounds and salts thereof such as sodium alkyl benzenesulfonic acid (e.g. Nansa HS90/S, available from Huntsman ChemicalCorporation, The Woodlands Tex.), or a mixture of these surfactants;

(8) carboxylates of alcohol ethoxylates, alcohol propoxylates, alcoholethoxylate propoxylates and ethoxylated linear and branched alkylphenolcompounds and salts thereof such as poly(ethylene oxide) tridecylalcohol ether carboxylic acid and sodium poly(ethylene oxide) laurylether carboxylate (e.g. Emulsogen DTC Acid and Emulsogen LS-24N fromClariant Corporation, Mount Holly N.J.), or a mixture of thesesurfactants;

(9) mono- and di-esters of glycerine with linear or branched long chain(greater than about 8 carbon atoms) fatty acid compounds furtheresterified with short chain di- and poly-carboxylic acid compounds, suchas glycerol monostearate monocitrate (e.g. Grindsted Citrem 2-in-1available from Danisco, Copenhagen Denmark), and mixtures of thesesurfactants;

(10) long chain (greater than about 8 carbon atoms) acyl amino acids,such as acyl glutamates, acyl peptides, acyl sarcosinates, acyltaurates, salts thereof, and mixtures of these surfactants;

(11) a mixture of such surfactants.

Exemplified anionic surfactants include oleyl-5EO-phosphate ester, shortchain homopolymer of ricinoleic, and oleic acid.

Although not limiting to the present invention, it is believed that theanionic surfactant is effective to improve the stability and decreasethe particle size of oil in water emulsions.

Emulsifier

Useful emulsifiers for preparing lipophilic emulsions include nonionicsurfactants. Suitable nonionic surfactants include:

(1) mono- and di-esters of glycerine with linear or branched long chain(greater than about 8 carbon atoms) fatty acids, such as glycerolmonooleate, glycerol monoricinoleate, glycerol monostearate, andglycerol monotallate (e.g. Lumulse GMO-K, Lumulse GMR-K, Lumulse GMS-K,and Lumulse GMT-K, available from Lambent Technologies, Gurnee Ill. andTegin OV, available from Goldschmidt Chemical Corporation, Hopewell,Va.), or a mixture of these surfactants;

(2) polyglyceryl monoesters with linear or branched long chain (greaterthan about 8 carbon atoms) fatty acids such as triglycerol monooleate(e.g. Lumulse PGO-K, available from Lambent Technologies, Gurnee Ill.),or a mixture of these surfactants;

(3) ethoxylated mono- and di-esters of glycerine with linear or branchedlong chain (greater than about 8 carbon atoms) fatty acids such aspoly(oxyethylene) glyceryl monolaurate (e.g. Lumulse POE(7) GML andLumulse POE(20) GMS-K, available from Lambent Technologies, GurneeIll.), or a mixture of these surfactants;

(4) sorbitan esters with linear or branched long chain (greater thanabout 8 carbon atoms) fatty acids such as sorbitan monolaurate, sorbitanmonopalmitate, sorbitan monostearate, and sorbitan monooleate (e.g.,SPAN series 20, 40, 60, and 80, available from Uniqema, New Castle, Del.and Lumisorb SMO, available from Lambent Technologies, Gurnee Ill.), ora mixture of these surfactants;

(5) ethoxylated sorbitan esters with linear or branched long chain(greater than about 8 carbon atoms) fatty acids such as polyoxyethylene(20) sorbitan monolaurate (polysorbate 20), polyoxyethylene (20)sorbitan monopalmitate (polysorbate 40), polyoxyethylene (20) sorbitanmonostearate (polysorbate 60), and polyoxyethylene (20) sorbitanmonooleate (polysorbate 80) (e.g., TWEEN series 20, 40, 60, and 80,available from Uniqema, New Castle, Del.), or a mixture of thesesurfactants;

(6) ethoxylated castor oils such as PEG-5 castor oil, PEG-25 castor oil,and PEG-40 castor oil (e.g. Lumulse CO-5, Lumulse CO-25, and LumulseCO-40 available from Lambent Technologies, Gurnee Ill.), or a mixture ofthese surfactants;

(7) mono- and di-esters of ethylene glycol and poly(ethylene glycol)with linear or branched long chain (greater than about 8 carbon atoms)fatty acids such as ethylene glycol distearate, PEG-400 monooleate,PEG-400 monolaurate, PEG-400 dilaurate, and PEG-4 diheptanoate (e.g.Lipo EGDS available from Lipo Chemicals, Paterson N.J., Lumulse 40-OK,Lumulse 40-L, and Lumulse 42-L available from Lambent Technologies,Gurnee Ill. and LIPONATE 2-DH, product of Lipo Chemicals, Inc., PatersonN.J.), or a mixture of these surfactants;

(8) EO-PO block copolymers such as poly(ethylene oxide)-poly(propyleneoxide)-poly(ethylene oxide) block copolymers and poly(propyleneoxide)-poly(ethylene oxide)-poly(propylene oxide) block copolymers (e.g.Pluronic and Pluronic R series products available from BASF Corporation,Florham Park N.J.), or a mixture of these surfactants;

(9) alcohol ethoxylates, alcohol propoxylates, and alcohol ethoxylatepropoxylates formed from the addition of ethylene oxide and/or propyleneoxide to linear or branched long chain (C8 or greater) fatty alcoholssuch as poly(ethylene oxide) undecyl ether, poly(ethylene oxide) etherwith (C12-C15) linear primary alcohols, poly(ethylene oxide) ether with(C14-C15) linear primary alcohols, and ethoxylated propoxylated C8-10alcohols (e.g. Tomadol 1-3 alcohol ethoxylate, Tomadol 25-7 alcoholethoxylate, and Tomadol 45-7 alcohol ethoxylate available from AirProducts, Inc., Allentown Pa.; and Antarox BL-214 available from Rhodia,Cranbury N.J.), or a mixture of these surfactants;

(10) alcohol ethoxylates formed from the addition of ethylene oxide tolinear and branched alkylphenol compounds such as poly(ethylene oxide)ether with nonyl phenol (e.g. Surfonic N95, available from HuntsmanChemical Corporation, The Woodlands Tex.), or a mixture of thesesurfactants;

(11) alkylated mono-, di- and oligoglycosides containing 8 to 22 carbonatoms in the alkyl group and ethoxylated alkylated mono-, di- andoligoglycosides containing 8 to 22 carbon atoms in the alkyl group suchas poly(D-glucopyranose) ether with (C8-C14) linear primary alcohols(e.g. Glucopon 425N/HH, available from Cognis North America, CincinnatiOhio), or a mixture of these surfactants;

(12) amide compounds formed from linear or branched long chain (greaterthan about 8 carbon atoms) fatty acids such as coconut aciddiethanolamide and oleic acid diethanolamide (e.g. Ninol 40-CO and Ninol201, available from Stepan Corporation, Northfield Ill. and Hostacor DT,available from Clariant Corporation, Mount Holly, N.C.), or a mixture ofthese surfactants;

(13) ethoxylate compounds formed from the addition of ethylene oxide toamide compounds formed from linear or branched long chain (greater thanabout 8 carbon atoms) fatty acids such as poly(ethylene oxide) etherwith coconut acid ethanolamide (e.g. Ninol C-5 available from StepanCorporation, Northfield Ill.), or a mixture of these surfactants;

(14) nonionic silicone surfactants such as poly(ethylene oxide) etherwith methyl bis(trimethylsilyloxy) silyl propanol (e.g. Silwet L77available from Momentive Performance Materials, Wilton N.J.), or amixture of these surfactants

(15) trialkyl phosphates, or a mixture of trialkyl phosphates;

(16) mono- and di-esters of glycerine with linear or branched long chain(greater than about 8 carbon atoms) fatty acids further esterified withshort chain monocarboxylic acids, such as such as glycerol monostearatelactate (e.g. Grindsted Lactem P22, available from Danisco, CopenhagenDenmark), or a mixture of these surfactants; or

(17) a mixture of such surfactants.

Exemplified emulsifiers include lecithin, ethoxysorbitan monostearate,glycerol monooleate, and 20 mole ethoxylated castor oil.

More about Emulsions and Emulsifiers

When dispersing oils or hydrophobic materials, formulators have foundthat emulsification systems made up of two or more emulsifiers tend togive better dispersion properties, for example more stable dispersions,than a single emulsifier. When formulating emulsions with two or moreemulsifiers, it is typical to use emulsifiers with different HLB values,and to adjust the ratio of emulsifiers to achieve a composite HLB valuethat is most suitable for emulsifying the hydrophobic material. In thecase that two or more emulsifiers with different HLB values are used, itmay be the case that emulsifiers with low HLB values are insoluble inwater and themselves meet the definition of lipophilic compounds asdescribed above. Therefore some compounds included in a list oflipophilic compounds useful in the present invention will also beincluded in a list of emulsifiers useful in the present invention.

Although the terms colloid and emulsion are sometimes usedinterchangeably, emulsion tends to imply that both the dispersed and thecontinuous phase are liquid. A commonly referred to example of anemulsion is milk, in which most of the milk lipid is in the form ofglobules ranging in size from 0.1 to 15 um in diameter. In the contextof the present invention, by emulsion it is meant a colloidal system inwhich the dispersed phase is a liquid, a semi-solid, or a low meltingsolid with a melting point less than about 100° C. and wherein thelipophilic compound is dispersed in and remains separate from a liquidcontinuous phase which may be water, an aqueous solution, or anotherpolar liquid in which the lipophilic compound is insoluble, and whereinthe particle size of the dispersed phase ranges between about 10angstroms and 15 microns. Emulsions of the present invention will becharacterized by one or more of the following: is opaque or translucent,exhibits a Tyndall effect, and/or contains dispersed material that willnot pass through a membrane.

An emulsifier is a substance which stabilizes an emulsion. Typicallyemulsifiers are amphipathic surface active compounds which possess bothhydrophilic and hydrophobic moieties. The ratio of hydrophilic andhydrophobic moieties in a surfactant is commonly expressed as thehydrophilic-lipophilic balance or HLB. In the preparation of emulsions,it may be desirable to use more than one emulsifying compound in whichcase the emulsifier present in the greatest concentration may bereferred to as the primary emulsifier and emulsifiers present in lowerconcentrations may be referred to as co-emulsifiers or secondaryemulsifiers, or all of the emulsifiers present in a composition may bereferred to as co-emulsifiers.

Emulsions are unstable and thus do not form spontaneously. There are twoprevalent methods for formation of colloidal dispersions includingemulsions which are generation of the dispersed phase in situ andintroduction of the dispersed phase into the continuous phase withenergy in processes including heating, shaking, stirring, high shearmixing, and microfluidization. Emulsions of the present invention can beprepared by introduction of the dispersed phase into the continuousphase.

Over time, emulsions tend to revert to the stable state of oil separatedfrom water, a process which is retarded by emulsifiers. It is understoodthat in the context of the present invention that “stable emulsion” doesnot refer only to systems that are thermodynamically stable, but alsoincludes systems in which the kinetics of decomposition have beengreatly slowed, that is, metastable systems. Emulsions can decomposethrough processes of flocculation (aggregation of dispersed particles),creaming (migration of the dispersed particles to the top of theemulsion due to buoyancy), and coalescence (combination of disperseddroplets to form larger ones).

In certain embodiments, a stable emulsion according to the presentinvention does not physically phase separate, exhibit creaming orcoalescence, or form precipitate. In an embodiment, the emulsion issufficiently stable that it is stable under conditions at which aconveyor lubricant composition is stored and shipped. For example, in anembodiment, the present stable emulsion does not phase separate in onemonth at 4 to 50° C., or even in two months or three months at suchtemperatures.

Dialysis presents simple test for insolubility of a lipophilic compound.A lipophilic compound can be considered insoluble if when dialyzedthrough a membrane with a molecular weight cut off of 1,000, thelipophilic compound is retained in the interior of the dialysis tubing.

Because the densities of lipophilic compounds are often greatlydifferent than that of water, stabilization of fluid emulsions isfavored by small particle sizes. Small particle size oil in wateremulsions can be provided by the use of high shear processes, by the useof co-solvents, or they may be provided by certain compositions andconcentrations of lipophilic oils with emulsifiers/and or anionicsurfactants and water, or both co-solvents and high shear processes. Forexample, in the absence of high shear processing, addition of a mixtureof lipophilic oil plus emulsifiers to stirring water plus hexyleneglycol solution may give a stable emulsion with a small particle sizewhereas addition of the same mixture of oil and emulsifiers to wateralone will not. Emulsions of the present invention can have volumeaverage particle sizes less than about 10 microns, e.g., less than about3 microns, such as less than about 1 micron. For ease of application byspraying, an emulsion of the present composition can have a viscosity ofabout 40 cP or less.

Additional Components

The lubricant compositions can contain additional components if desired.For example, the compositions can contain adjuvants such as conventionalwaterborne conveyor lubricants (e.g., fatty amine based lubricants),antimicrobial agents, colorants, foam inhibitors or foam generators,cracking inhibitors (e.g., PET stress cracking inhibitors), viscositymodifiers, film forming materials, surfactants, antioxidants, antistaticagents, corrosion inhibitors and mixtures thereof. Examples of suitableamine or amine derivative lubricants include oleyl diamino propane, cocodiamino propane, lauryl propyl diamine, dimethyl lauryl amine, PEG cocoamine, alkyl C₁₂-C₁₄ oxy propyl diamine, and those amine compositionsdescribed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,182,035 and 5,932,526, both of which areincorporated by reference herein in this disclosure. The amounts andtypes of such additional components will be apparent to those skilled inthe art.

For applications involving plastic containers, the lubricantcompositions can have a total alkalinity equivalent to less than about100 ppm CaCO₃, e.g., less than about 50 ppm CaCO₃, such as less thanabout 30 ppm CaCO₃, as measured in accordance with Standard Methods forthe Examination of Water and Wastewater, 18^(th) Edition, Section 2320,Alkalinity.

For applications involving plastic containers, it can be advantageous toavoid the use of components in the formula that might promoteenvironmental stress cracking in plastic containers. Ingredients thatcan inhibit stress cracking include those described in assignee's patentapplication, titled SILICONE LUBRICANT WITH GOOD WETTING ON PETSURFACES, filed on Sep. 22, 2005, with Ser. No. 11/233,596, examplesdescribed in assignee's patent application titled SILICONE CONVEYORLUBRICANT WITH STOICHIOMETRIC AMOUNT OF AN ORGANIC ACID, filed Sep. 22,2005 with Ser. No. 11/233,568, and in assignee's patent applicationentitled AQUEOUS COMPOSITIONS USEFUL IN FILLING AND CONVEYING OFBEVERAGE BOTTLES WHEREIN THE COMPOSITIONS COMPRISE HARDNESS IONS ANDHAVE IMPROVED COMPATIBILITY WITH PET, filed Jun. 23, 2006, with Ser. No.11/426,214. Each of these applications is incorporated herein byreference for disclosure of these components. The stress crackinginhibitor, if present, can be selected to be compatible with the otheringredients of the lubricant composition.

Methods of Using the Present Lubricants

The present invention provides in one aspect, a method for lubricatingthe passage of a container along a conveyor including applying alipophilic emulsion or a mixture of a lipophilic emulsion material and awater-miscible lubricant to at least a portion of the containercontacting surface of the conveyor or to at least a portion of theconveyor contacting surface of the container. In some embodiments, thepresent invention is directed to a method of applying an undilutedlubricant intermittently. The composition can be applied while theconveyor is at rest or while it is moving, e.g., at the conveyor'snormal operating speed.

The lubricant coating can be applied in a constant or intermittentfashion. The lubricant coating can be applied in an intermittent fashionin order to minimize the amount of applied lubricant composition. It hasbeen discovered that the present invention may be applied intermittentlyand maintain a low coefficient of friction in between applications, oravoid a condition known as “drying”. Specifically, the present inventionmay be applied for a period of time and then not applied for at least 15minutes, at least 30 minutes, or at least 120 minutes or longer. Theapplication period may be long enough to spread the composition over theconveyor belt (i.e. one revolution of the conveyor belt). During theapplication period, the actual application may be continuous, i.e.lubricant is applied to the entire conveyor, or intermittent, i.e.lubricant is applied in bands and the containers spread the lubricantaround. The lubricant can be applied to the conveyor surface at alocation that is not populated by packages or containers. For example,the lubricant spray can be applied upstream of the package or containerflow or on the inverted conveyor surface moving underneath and upstreamof the container or package.

In some embodiments, the ratio of application time to non-applicationtime may be 1:10, 1:30, 1:180, or 1:500 where the lubricant maintains alow coefficient of friction in between lubricant applications. Putanother way, in an embodiment, applying includes applying the lubricantcomposition for a first length of time and not applying it for a secondlength of time. The ratio of the first length to the second length canbe about 1 to greater than or equal to about 100. The ratio of the firstlength to the second length can be about 1 to greater than or equal toabout 10, about 1 to greater than or equal to about 30, about 1 togreater than or equal to about 180, or about 1 to greater than or equalto about 500.

In some embodiments, the lubricant maintains a coefficient of frictionbelow about 0.4, below about 0.2, below about 0.15, or below about 0.12.

In some embodiments, a feedback loop may be used to determine when thecoefficient of friction reaches an unacceptably high level. The feedbackloop may trigger the lubricant composition to turn on for a period oftime and then optionally turn the lubricant composition off when thecoefficient of friction returns to an acceptable level.

In an embodiment, the present method includes a method of cleaning aconveyor. This embodiment can include applying the present lipophiliclubricant composition to the conveyor, conveying containers, washing orrinsing the conveyor and removing soil, and, after washing and removingsoil, continuing to convey containers on the conveyor with an acceptablecoefficient of friction between the container and the conveyor. That is,the coefficient of friction remains at a level at which the conveyor cancontinue conveying containers for a significant time without another oran unscheduled application of lubricant to the conveyor. The coefficientof friction can remain below, for example, 0.4 according to the shorttrack test described below. Washing or rinsing the conveyor can occurwhile the conveyor continues to operate, i.e. while containers areconveyed. Washing or rinsing can employ diluted lubricant composition.

The method can include conveying containers until the container or theconveyor (e.g., a link on the conveyor) are unacceptably soiled. In anembodiment, unacceptably soiled refers to a level of soil such that whenpackage that has been conveyed is placed on a white surface such ascloth or paper, an unacceptably visible mark is left. In an embodiment,unacceptably soiled refers to the conveyor surface having anunacceptably soiled appearance, or both. In an embodiment, unacceptablysoiled refers to a level of soil such that when package that has beenconveyed is placed on a white surface such as cloth or paper, anunacceptably visible mark is left and the conveyor surface having anunacceptably soiled appearance, or both. In the case of production lineswhich include stainless steel conveyors, the extent of soiling may bemeasured in terms of weight of iron present as soil per container or perconveyor belt chain link. For example the iron containing soil may beanalyzed by wiping the package or the chain link with a paper tissue andthen quantifying iron present by digestion and spectroscopy such asinductively coupled plasma spectroscopy. Acceptable levels of soil forbottles may be less than 100 μg iron/bottle, less than 50 μgiron/bottle, or less than 25 μg iron/bottle. Acceptable levels of soilfor conveyor belt chain links may be less than 50 μg iron/square inch oflink surface, less than 25 μg iron/square inch of link surface, or lessthan 12.5 μg iron/square inch of link surface.

The lubricant coating thickness can be maintained generally at theinterface at greater than or equal to about 0.0001 mm, e.g., about 0.001to about 2 mm, and such as about 0.005 to about 0.5 mm.

Application of the lubricant composition can be carried out using anysuitable technique including spraying, wiping, brushing, drip coating,roll coating, and other methods for application of a thin film.

A variety of kinds of conveyors and conveyor parts can be coated withthe lubricant composition. Parts of the conveyor that support or guideor move the containers and can be coated with the lubricant compositioninclude belts, chains, gates, chutes, sensors, and ramps having surfacesmade of fabrics, metals, plastics, composites, or combinations of thesematerials. The lubricant can reside or be deliberately applied so as toreside between the conveyor belt chain and conveyor belt chain supportsuch as a wear strip. For example, a nozzle may be placed underneath theconveyor belt table top with a spray directed at the underside of theconveyor belt chain link, or a nozzle may be placed with a spraydirected towards the wear strip at a location where it is accessiblethrough or underneath the conveyor belt chain.

The lubricant composition can also be applied to a wide variety ofcontainers including beverage containers; food containers; household orcommercial cleaning product containers; and containers for oils,antifreeze or other industrial fluids. The containers can be made of awide variety of materials including glasses; plastics (e.g., polyolefinssuch as polyethylene and polypropylene; polystyrenes; polyesters such asPET and polyethylene naphthalate (PEN); polyamides, polycarbonates; andmixtures or copolymers thereof); metals (e.g., aluminum, tin or steel);papers (e.g., untreated, treated, waxed or other coated papers);ceramics; and laminates or composites of two or more of these materials(e.g., laminates of PET, PEN or mixtures thereof with another plasticmaterial). The present invention is especially suited for glasscontainers. The containers can have a variety of sizes and forms,including cartons (e.g., waxed cartons or TETRAPACK™ boxes), cans,bottles and the like. Although any desired portion of the container canbe coated with the lubricant composition, the lubricant composition canbe applied only to parts of the container that will come into contactwith the conveyor or with other containers. In an embodiment, thelubricant composition is not applied to portions of thermoplasticcontainers that are prone to stress cracking. In an embodiment, thelubricant composition is applied to the crystalline foot portion of ablow-molded, footed PET container (or to one or more portions of aconveyor that will contact such foot portion) without applyingsignificant quantities of lubricant composition to the amorphous centerbase portion of the container. Also, in certain embodiments, thelubricant composition is not applied to portions of a container thatmight later be gripped by a user holding the container, or, if soapplied, is removed from such portion prior to shipment and sale of thecontainer. For some such applications, the lubricant composition isapplied to the conveyor rather than to the container, which can limitthe extent to which the container might later become slippery in actualuse.

In an embodiment, the present method includes a method for lubricatingthe passage of a container along a conveyor. This method can includeapplying an undiluted lubricant composition to at least a portion of acontainer-contacting surface of the conveyor or to at least a portion ofa conveyor-contacting surface of the container. This method can employ alubricant composition including about 0.1 about 30 wt-% lipophiliccompound; about 0.05 about 15 wt-% emulsifier, anionic surfactant, ormixture thereof; and about 55 to about 97 wt-% water. In an embodiment,the method can employ about 1 to about 50 wt-% lipophilic compound. Inan embodiment, the method can employ about 3 to about 40 wt-% lipophiliccompound.

Dispensing Equipment

Dispensing equipment for practice of the present invention includesspraying apparatus that comprises spray nozzles that are non-energized,i.e. they provide a fine lubricant spray at relatively low flow rates(less than about 10 mL/sec at pressures less than about 50 psi) withoutrequiring applied energy (for example high pressure, compressed air, orsonication) to break up the lubricant flow into small droplets. Thespray dispensing system operates at relatively lower pressure (less thanabout 50 psi) and does not comprise either a high pressure lubricantline or a lubricant venting line. Useful droplet sizes for the lubricantspray are from about 100 to about 5000 microns, e.g., about 100 to about500 microns. Suitable nozzles for the practice of the current inventionare small capacity spray nozzles which distribute the liquid lubricantas a solid (full) cone, hollow cone, flat fan or sheet-type of spray atpressures less than about 50 psi. In an embodiment, the nozzles are flatspray nozzles with tapering edges which are useful in establishinguniform spray distribution from overlapping spray patterns betweenadjacent sprays on a multiple nozzle header. Flat spray nozzles usefulin the practice of the current invention include elliptical orificenozzles and deflector nozzles. In the elliptical orifice design, theaxis of the spray pattern is a continuation of the axis of the inletpipe connection. In the deflector design, the deflection surface divertsthe spray pattern away from the axis of the inlet pipe connection.Useful flat spray nozzles include FloodJet and VeeJet Small CapacityWide Spray Angle nozzles (available from Spraying Systems, Wheaton,Ill.), FF Extra Wide Angle and NF Standard Fan nozzles (available fromBete Fog Nozzle, Inc., Greenfield, Mass.), and Flat Spray Standardnozzles (available from Allspray, Inc., Carol Stream, Ill.). A suitabledeflector flat spray nozzle is the Low Flow FloodJet 1/8K-SS.25 nozzleavailable from Spraying Systems, Wheaton Ill. Useful cone spray nozzlesinclude UniJet Small Capacity Standard Spray nozzles (available fromSpraying Systems, Wheaton, Ill.), WT Right Angle Hollow Cone nozzles(available from Bete Fog Nozzle, Inc., Greenfield, Mass.), and HollowCone Standard nozzles (available from Allspray, Inc., Carol Stream,Ill.). A suitable cone spray nozzle is the UniJetTXVS-1 nozzle availablefrom Spraying Systems, Wheaton Ill.

Dispensing apparatus for practice of the present invention includesmeans to provide lubricant compositions to nozzles under low to moderatepressures, less than about 50 psi. One possible means is to pressurizethe lubricant source. Suitable dispensing equipment includes means topressurize the lubricant composition in line by pumping. Therequirements for a pump are modest and can be met by a variety of pumpdesigns including diaphragm pumps, peristaltic pumps, and valvelessrotating reciprocating piston metering pumps. Suitable pumps start andstop automatically when a discharge valve downstream of the pump isopened and closed. In this way, the pump is not operating duringnon-application periods. Examples of pumps that start and stopsautomatically include positive displacement diaphragm pumps withbuilt-in pressure switches that automatically start and stop pumpinstantaneously when discharge valve is opened, for example a Flowjet2100 pump available from Flowjet, a division of IIT Industries, FoothillRanch, Calif. Other examples of pumps that start and stop automaticallyare positive displacement reciprocating double diaphragm pumps such asthe Wilden PI plastic pump available from Wilden Pump & Engineering,LLC, Grand Terrace, Calif. and pneumatic single diaphragm pumps such asthe Yamada NDP-5 pump available from Yamada America, West Chicago Ill.Pumps which do not automatically start and stop upon action of adownstream discharge valve may advantageously be used with a controllerthat actuates both the downstream discharge valve and the pump.

Methods of Making the Present Composition

High shear processes useful in the preparation of stable, small particlesize emulsions include rotor-stator homogenizers, blade typehomogenizers (blenders), and high pressure homogenizers (also known asmicrofluidizers or dairy homogenizers). In high pressure homogenizers,liquid is forced under high pressure through a narrow orifice whichgenerates high shear. Variations of high pressure homogenization includeimpingement microfluidization in which two streams of liquid collideafter being forced through opposing orifices, and impact ringmicrofluidization in which the stream of liquid impacts a flat surfacesurrounded by a ring.

The present invention may be better understood with reference to thefollowing examples. These examples are intended to be representative ofspecific embodiments of the invention, and are not intended as limitingthe scope of the invention.

EXAMPLES Test Methods

Short Track Conveyor Test

Conveyor systems employing a motor-driven 6½ inch wide stainless steelbelts were operated at belt speeds of between about 120 feet/minute and170 feet/minute. The length of the conveyor system was ten feet withstainless steel conveyor belts approximately 22 feet in length. Thebelts included a dual track arrangement of two 3¼ inch wide 815 speedline straight running chains and a single track of 6½ inch wide 815speed line straight running chains (815 speed line chains are bothproducts of Solus Industrial Innovations, LLC, Rancho Santa Magarita,Calif.). Before testing lubrication properties of sample formulations,the conveyor system was scrubbed using nylon brushes and ScotchBrite®pads using a cleaning solution consisting of 2.5% sodium metasilicate,1.0% sodium hydroxide, 1.0% Tomadol 1-3, and 0.5% Tomadol 25-7 (Tomadolproducts available from Air Products, Allentown Pa.).

Two 12 ounce filled glass bottles were lassoed and connected to astationary strain gauge. The force exerted on the strain gauge duringbelt operation was recorded continuously every 2 to 3 seconds duringoperation using a computer. Lubricant compositions were applied to thesurface of the belt using conventional lubricant spray nozzles operatingat 36 psi to 44 psi and delivering lubricant at 60 mL/min to 80 mL/min.The period of initial lubricant application was 87 seconds. After theinitial application of lubricant, the belt was allowed to run for eightyminutes without application of additional lubricant while the forceexerted on the strain gauge was recorded.

To test for water resistance of lubricated belts, water was applied tothe conveyor using a second nozzle operating at 36 psi to 44 psi anddelivering water at 100 mL/min to 120 mL/min forty minutes after thestart of the experiment and continuing for the duration of theexperiment while the force exerted on the strain gauge continued to berecorded.

The coefficient of friction (COF) was calculated by dividing the dragforce (F) by the weight of the two 12 ounce filled glass bottles plusthe lasso (W): COF=F/W. In the examples below, reported COF values arethe average recorded COF values collected over a one minute period.

Lubricity Test

Certain tests reported in Example 1 used a laboratory test conveyor totest the lubricity of a lubricant composition. The lubricity test wasdone by measuring the drag force (frictional force) of a weightedbeverage container package standing on a running conveyor belt, wettedby the test sample. The beverage containers were made of glass, PET,metal, or carton. The conveyor chain material was made of stainlesssteel or delrin (polyacetal or plastic). The belt has a width of 8.2 cmand a length of approximately 7.5 m and an average speed of 1.2 m/s. Thedrag force, using an average value, was measured with a force gauge,which was connected to the container package by a thin monofilamentfishing line. The drag force was monitored with a computer, connecteddirectly to the force gauge. The coefficient of friction (COF) wascalculated by dividing the drag force (F) by the weight of the cylinderpackage (W): COF=F/W.

In this test, the test sample was sprayed on the moving conveyor beltsurface for 36 seconds with a hand sprayer. The hand sprayer sprays anamount of 16 g test sample on the conveyor belt in 36 seconds. The dragforce was monitored for 30 minutes without replenishing the test sample.After 30 minutes, 250 milliliters of pure water were poured on the beltto test the compatibility of the test sample with water spillage.

Embodiments of the Method and Composition

In an embodiment, the present invention relates to a method forlubricating the passage of a container along a conveyor. This embodimentcan include applying a lubricant composition to at least a portion of acontainer-contacting surface of the conveyor or to at least a portion ofa conveyor-contacting surface of the container; the lubricantcomposition including: about 3 about 40 wt-% lipophilic compound; about0.05 about 15 wt-% emulsifier, anionic surfactant, or mixture thereof;and about 55 to about 97 wt-% water.

In an embodiment of the method, the lipophilic compound includestri(caprate/caprylate) ester of glycerine; caprylate, caprate, cocoatetriglyceride; soyate fatty acid ester of sucrose; diheptanoate ester ofpoly(ethylene glycol); or trimethylol propane trioleate. In anembodiment of the method, the emulsifier includes ethoxysorbitanmonostearate, glycerol monooleate, 20 mole ethoxylated castor oil, ormixture thereof. In an embodiment of the method, the anionic surfactantincludes lecithin, oleyl-5EO-phosphate ester, short chain homopolymer ofricinoleic, glycerol monostearate monocitrate, or oleic acid. In anembodiment of the method, the composition further includes an additionalfunctional ingredient. In an embodiment of the method, the additionalfunctional ingredient includes antimicrobial agent, cracking inhibitor,antioxidant, or mixture thereof. In an embodiment of the method, theemulsifier includes lecithin, citric acid ester, or mixture thereof. Inan embodiment of the method, the composition further includes aco-emulsifier including polyol, polyalkylene glycol, linear copolymer ofethylene and propylene oxides, sorbitan ester, fatty acid and theirderivatives, or mixture thereof. In an embodiment of the method, thelipophilic compound includes triglyceride.

In an embodiment of the method, applying includes spraying thecomposition through a non-energized nozzle. In an embodiment of themethod, applying includes applying the lubricant composition for a firstlength of time and not applying it for a second length of time; whereinthe ratio of the first length to the second length is about 1 to greaterthan or equal to about 10.

In an embodiment of the method, the composition maintains a coefficientof friction of less than about 0.4 over the entire period of use.

In an embodiment of the method, the container includes polyethyleneterephthalate, polyethylene naphthalate, glass, or metal.

In an embodiment, the present invention relates to a method forlubricating the passage of a container along a conveyor. This embodimentcan include spraying an undiluted lubricant composition through anon-energized nozzle onto at least a portion of a container-contactingsurface of the conveyor or to at least a portion of aconveyor-contacting surface of the container; the lubricant compositionincluding: about 3 about 40 wt-% lipophilic compound; about 0.05 about15 wt-% emulsifier, anionic surfactant, or mixture thereof; and about 55to about 97 wt-% water.

In an embodiment, the present invention relates to a method forlubricating the passage of a container along a conveyor. This embodimentcan include applying an undiluted lubricant composition to at least aportion of a container-contacting surface of the conveyor or to at leasta portion of a conveyor-contacting surface of the container; conveyingcontainers on the conveyor; washing or rinsing the conveyor and removingsoil; continuing to convey containers after washing, conveying beingconducted with a coefficient of friction of less than or equal to about0.4; the lubricant composition including: about 3 about 40 wt-%lipophilic compound; about 0.05 about 15 wt-% emulsifier, anionicsurfactant, or mixture thereof; and about 55 to about 97 wt-% water.

In an embodiment, the present invention relates to a composition. Thisembodiment of the composition can include: about 3 about 40 wt-%lipophilic compound; about 0.05 about 15 wt-% anionic surfactant; andabout 55 to about 97 wt-% water. In an embodiment of the composition,the composition further includes emulsifier. In an embodiment of thecomposition, the lipophilic compound includes triglyceride. In anembodiment of the composition, the lipophilic compound includestri(caprate/caprylate) ester of glycerine; caprylate, caprate, cocoatetriglyceride; soyate fatty acid ester of sucrose; diheptanoate ester ofpoly(ethylene glycol); or trimethylol propane trioleate. In anembodiment of the composition, the anionic surfactant includes lecithin,oleyl-5EO-phosphate ester, short chain homopolymer of ricinoleic, oroleic acid. In an embodiment of the composition, the emulsifier includesethoxysorbitan monostearate, glycerol monooleate, 20 mole ethoxylatedcastor oil, or mixture thereof. In an embodiment of the composition, thecomposition is PET compatible to the extent that it results in crackingof 4 or fewer bottles out of 56 in a stress cracking test fornon-refillable PET bottles. In an embodiment of the composition, thecomposition is PET compatible to the extent that is graded A or B in astress cracking test for refillable PET bottles.

Example 1—Conventional Lubricants Exhibited Unacceptable Increases inCOF with Wear and Wetting

A. Short Track Testing

These experiments demonstrated that conventional lubricant compositionsshowed unacceptable increases in coefficient of friction as they wereused and wetted. Anionic surfactants were demonstrated to improve theperformance of even conventional lubricant compositions.

Materials and Methods

Short Track Test Method

The conveyor included dual 3¼ inch conveyor tracks and the conveyorspeed was 158 feet/min. After running for 35 minutes following the startof application of the lubricant, the COF was measured using two 12 ouncebottles of Miller Genuine Draft Light beer (Initial COF). Sixty minutesafter the start of application of the lubricant, which is 20 minutesafter the start of the water spray, the COF was measured again (Worn andWetted COF).

Lubricants

The conventional amine conveyor lubricant (sold under the tradenameLubodrive TK, Ecolab, St. Paul Minn.) was mixed with deionized water toform a solution at a concentration of 0.5 wt-%. The conventional aminelubricant included acidified fatty amine and alcohol ethoxylatesurfactant.

The conventional phosphate ester conveyor lubricant (sold under thetradename Lubodrive RX, Ecolab, St. Paul Minn.) was mixed with deionizedwater to form a solution at a concentration of 0.25 wt-%. Theconventional phosphate ester lubricant included neutralized phosphateester and alcohol ethoxylate surfactant.

Glycerine was mixed with deionized water to form a solution at aconcentration of 10 wt-%. A second glycerine composition included 10wt-% glycerine and 0.5 wt-% Rhodafac PA/35 phosphate ester compound(Rhodia, Cranbury, N.J.). The phosphate ester compound includedoleyl-5EO-phosphate ester.

The silicone (polydimethyl siloxane) emulsion lubricant composition wasprepared by mixing 250 g of silicone emulsion (Lambent E2140FG foodgrade silicone emulsion, product of Lambent Technologies Corp.) with 750g deionized water. A second silicone (polydimethyl siloxane) emulsionlubricant composition also included Rhodafac PA/35 phosphate estercompound. This second composition was prepared by adding 50 g of 10%Rhodafac PA/35 phosphate ester compound in deionized water and 250 g ofLambent E2140FG silicone emulsion to 700 g of deionized water. Thisformed a dispersion.

Results

The results obtained from these tests are shown in Table 1, below.

TABLE 1A COF Increases For Conventional Lubricants Lipophilic AnionicInitial Worn and Lubricant Emulsion Surfactant COF Wetted COF Amine − −0.25 ≥0.5 Phosphate ester − + 0.27 0.51 Glycerine − − 0.34 0.53Glycerine and phosphate − + 0.28 0.39 ester Siloxane emulsion − − 0.120.50 Siloxane emulsion with − + 0.13 0.35 phosphate ester

In the test of the amine lubricant, seventy minutes after the start ofapplication of the lubricant (30 minutes after the start of the waterspray), the bottles fell over due to insufficient lubrication on thetrack.

Conclusions

The anionic surfactant was demonstrated to improve lubrication byconventional dry lube compositions. Including phosphate ester anionicsurfactant in glycerine resulted in a smaller increase in COF. Includingapproximately 5000 ppm of a phosphate ester compound in the siliconelubricant was effective to diminish the increase in COF resulting fromspraying water on a stainless steel conveyor track lubricated with anaqueous polydimethyl siloxane emulsion. For both of these conventionallubricants, the worn and wetted COF was significantly less than 0.5 whenthe lubricant included anionic surfactant.

B. Lubricity Testing of Conventional Wet Lubricants

These experiments demonstrated that traditional glass and metal wetlubricants do not work well (i.e. do not produce an acceptable lowcoefficient of friction) when run in a dry mode, that is when appliedfor a period of time, and then turned off for a period of time whilecontainers and packages continue to be moved along the conveyor surface.

Materials and Methods

These experiments also tested a fatty amine lubricant (sold under thetradename LUBODRIVE TK™, Ecolab Inc., St. Paul, Minn.) at aconcentration of 5 wt-%. This lubricant is commonly used as a wetlubricant on conveyors in bottling plants at a concentration of 0.1%.Thus, in this example, this lubricant is being tested as a dry lubricantat a concentrations 50 times the usual concentration. Higher lubricantconcentration would be expected to improve the performance of thelubricant.

These experiments tested a fatty acid derivative lubricant (sold underthe tradename of LUBOKLAR HH™, Ecolab Inc., St. Paul, Minn.) atconcentrations of 2.5 wt-% and 5 wt-%. This lubricant is commonly usedas a wet lubricant on conveyors in bottling plants at a concentration of0.4%. Thus, in this example, this lubricant is being tested as a drylubricant at concentrations 12 to 63 times the usual concentration.Higher lubricant concentration would be expected to improve theperformance of the lubricant.

For this example, these lubricants were tested using the lubricity testwith a glass bottle package on a stainless steel conveyor belt.

Results

The results are shown in Table 1B, below.

TABLE 1B Wet Lubricant Compositions are Ineffective as Dry LubricantsLubricant Concentration [%] COF fatty amine 5 0.18 fatty acid derivative2.5 0.24 fatty acid derivative 5 0.27Conclusions

Conventional glass lubricants do not work well in a “dry” mode even whenthe concentration was raised more than 10 times that of the typical uselevel.

C. Lubricity Testing of Conventional Dry Lubricants

These experiments demonstrated that dry lubricants made to be used withPET bottles on Delrin conveyors do not work well (i.e. do not produce anacceptable low coefficient of friction) when run in a dry mode withglass bottles on a stainless steel conveyor and subjected to applying(“spilling”) water to the conveyor.

Materials and Methods

This experiment tested a glycerine lubricant (sold under the tradenameLUBOTRAXX 125™, Ecolab Inc., St. Paul, Minn.) and a lubricant containingsilicon and fatty amine (DRYEXX™, Ecolab Inc., St. Paul, Minn.) withoutdiluting either lubricant.

For this example, these lubricants were tested using the lubricity testwith a glass bottle package on a stainless steel conveyor belt.

Results

The results are shown in Table 1C, below.

TABLE 1C Dry Lubricant Compositions are Ineffective After Water isApplied to the Conveyor Lubricant Dry COF COF After Water glycerine 0.10not measurable, so much friction that the bottles crashed on theconveyor silicon and 0.25 not measurable, so much friction that fattyamine the bottles crashed on the conveyorConclusions

Conventional dry lubricants do not work well after water is applied tothe conveyor. Water or water-based beverages commonly spill on aconveyor in a bottling plant. Further, water is commonly used to washbeverage residues from beverage containers while the containers are onthe conveyor, which gets water on the conveyor.

Example 2—Anionic Surfactant Improves Lubrication by a LipophilicEmulsion

These experiments demonstrated that a phosphate ester anionic surfactantimproved lubrication by a lipophilic emulsion. Specifically, thephosphate ester containing lubricant had a smaller increase incoefficient of friction upon use of the conveyor and wetting.

A. Short Track Testing

Materials and Methods

Short Track Test Method

The short track test method was as described above in Example 1.

Lubricants

Triglyceride Emulsion

A premix of triglyceride oil with emulsifiers was prepared by mixing83.3 g of the tri(caprate/caprylate) ester of glycerine (LUMULSE CC33K,Lambent Technologies Corp.) with 10 g of glycerol monooleate (LUMULSEGMO), and 6.7 g of 20 mole ethoxylated castor oil (LUMULSE CO-25) andstirring until homogeneous.

Dispersing the premix was accomplished by pouring the clear strawcolored liquid as a thin stream into 900 g of stirring deionized waterto give a dispersion. The dispersion was microfluidized by processingusing a M-110Y Microfluidizer® Processor microfluidizer equipped with aH210Z (200 micron) shear chamber followed by a blank chamber with anoperating pressure of 5000 psi. When measured using a Horiba 910particle size analyzer, the volume average particle size of the emulsionwas determined to be 0.430 microns and the number average particle sizewas 0.294 microns.

To 1000 g of the resulting microfluidized emulsion were added 2.5 g ofan isothiazolinone (sold under the tradename KATHON CG-ICP) and 25 g ofa solution of 10% dimethyl lauryl amine (GENAMIN LA302-D, Clariant) plus2.8% acetic acid in deionized water.

Triglyceride Emulsion Including Lecithin

An emulsion of the tri(caprate/caprylate) ester of glycerine made withlecithin (Deriphat DL10, product of Cognis GmbH, Manheim am Rhein, Del.)was tested as received.

Results

The results obtained from these tests are shown in Table 2A, below.

TABLE 2A Anionic Surfactant Improves Lubrication by a LipophilicEmulsion Lipophilic Anionic Initial Worn and Lubricant EmulsionSurfactant COF Wetted COF Triglyceride emulsion + − 0.12 0.44Triglyceride emulsion with + + 0.11 0.30 lecithinConclusions

These results demonstrated that including a phosphate ester anionicsurfactant (lecithin) in a glycerine tri(caprate/caprylate) esteremulsion diminished the increase in COF resulting from spraying water ona stainless steel conveyor track lubricated with the emulsion.

B. Lubricity Testing

These experiments demonstrated that anionic surfactants improvedlubrication by a triglyceride lipophilic emulsion. Specifically, theselubricants were effective after water was applied to the conveyor.

Materials and Methods

This experiment tested two triglyceride lubricant compositions.Lubricant A contained an emulsion of 10 wt-% of a caprylate, caprate,cocoate triglyceride (sold under the tradename Myritol 331) in water towhich was added the anionic surfactant 1.5 wt-% lecithin (sold under thetradename Terradrill V 408, Cognis) and the emulsifier 1.5 wt-% 20 molethoxysorbitan monostearate (sold under the tradename Tween 60V, ICI).Lubricant B contained 1.5 wt-% citrate ester (a carboxylic acid anionicsurfactant) (sold under the tradename GRINDSTED® CITREM 2-IN-1, Danisco)instead of the Terradrill V408.

For this example, these lubricants were tested using the lubricity testwith a glass bottle package on a stainless steel conveyor belt.

Results

The results are shown in Table 2B, below.

TABLE 2B Triglyceride Lubricants Including Anionic Surfactant WereEffective After Water was Applied to the Conveyor. Lubricant Dry COF COFAfter Water A 0.10 0.12 B 0.09 0.10Conclusions

Triglyceride lubricants including anionic surfactant worked well as dryconveyor lubricants. They effectively lubricated after water was appliedto the conveyor.

Example 3—Anionic Surfactants Improved Lubrication by a Soyate EsterLipophilic Emulsion

These experiments demonstrated that anionic surfactants improvedlubrication by a soyate ester lipophilic emulsion. Specifically, theanionic surfactant containing lubricants had a smaller increase incoefficient of friction upon use of the conveyor and spraying withwater.

Materials and Methods

Short Track Test Method

The short track test method was as described above in Example 1 exceptthat the track was a single 6.5 inch wide track that ran at 127feet/min.

Lubricants

Soyate Fatty Acid Ester Emulsion

A premix of soyate fatty acid ester of sucrose with emulsifiers wasprepared by mixing 83.3 g of the soyate fatty acid ester of sucrosecompound (SEFOSE 1618S, product of Procter and Gamble Chemicals,Cincinnati, Ohio) with 10.9 g of glycerol monooleate (LUMULSE GMO-K,product of Lambent Technologies Corp., Gurnee, Ill.), and 5.9 g of 20mole ethoxylated castor oil (LUMULSE CO-25, product of LambentTechnologies Corp.) and stirring until homogeneous.

The resulting clear amber liquid was dispersed and microfluidized asdescribed in Example 2. To 1000 g of the resulting microfluidizedemulsion was added 2.5 g of KATHON CG-ICP and 25 g of a solution of 10wt-% dimethyl lauryl amine (GENAMIN LA302-D) plus 2.8% acetic acid indeionized water. When measured using a Horiba 910 particle sizeanalyzer, the volume average particle size of the emulsion wasdetermined to be 0.388 microns and the number average particle size was0.281 microns.

Soyate Fatty Acid Ester Emulsion Containing Phosphate Ester

A solution of 10% Rhodafac PA/35 phosphate ester in deionized water (50g) was added to 950 g of the Sefose 1618S emulsion prepared above togive a Sefose 1618S plus phosphate ester emulsion.

Soyate Fatty Acid Ester Emulsion Containing Carboxylic Acid Surfactant

A premix of soyate fatty acid ester of sucrose with emulsifiers wasprepared by mixing 100 g of a soyate fatty acid ester of sucrosecompound (SEFOSE 1618S) with 100 g of the short chain homopolymer ofricinoleic acid (Hostagliss L4, product of Clariant Corporation, MountHolly, N.C.), 24 g of glycerol monooleate (LUMULSE GMO-K) and 16 g of 20mole ethoxylated castor oil (LUMULSE CO-25) and stirring untilhomogeneous. The clear light straw colored liquid was poured as a thinstream into 754.2 g of stirring deionized water to give a dispersion.The dispersion was microfluidized as described in Example 2.

Results

The results obtained from these tests are shown in Table 3, below.

TABLE 3 Anionic Surfactant Improves Lubrication by a Soyate EsterLipophilic Emulsion Lipophilic Anionic Initial Worn and LubricantEmulsion Surfactant COF Wetted COF Soyate fatty acid esters of + − 0.160.36 sucrose Soyate fatty acid esters of + + 0.10 0.23 sucrose withphosphate ester Soyate fatty acid esters of + + 0.10 0.23 sucrose withcarboxylic acid surfactantConclusions

These results demonstrated that including anionic surfactants in alipophilic emulsion of soyate fatty acid ester of sucrose diminished theincrease in COF resulting from spraying water on a stainless steelconveyor track lubricated with the emulsion. Specifically, theimprovements resulted from including approximately 5000 ppm of aphosphate ester compound in the emulsion and from includingapproximately 10 wt-% of a long chain carboxylic acid compound in thelipophilic emulsion.

Example 4—Anionic Surfactant Improved Lubrication by a PEG EsterLipophilic Emulsion

These experiments demonstrated that an anionic surfactant improvedlubrication by a PEG ester lipophilic emulsion. Specifically, theanionic surfactant containing lubricants had a smaller increase incoefficient of friction upon use of the conveyor and spraying withwater.

Materials and Methods

Short Track Test Method

The short track test method was as described above in Example 1.

Lubricants

PEG Diheptanoate Ester Emulsion

A premix of the diheptanoate ester of poly(ethylene glycol) was preparedby mixing 83.3 g of a PEG-4 diheptanoate (LIPONATE 2-DH, product of LipoChemicals, Inc., Paterson N.J.) with 9.2 g of glycerol monooleate(LUMULSE GMO-K), and 7.5 g of 20 mole ethoxylated castor oil (LUMULSECO-25) and stirring until homogeneous.

The clear liquid was poured as a thin stream into 900 g of stirringdeionized water to give a dispersion. The dispersion was microfluidizedas described in Example 2. When measured using a Horiba 910 particlesize analyzer, the volume average particle size of the emulsion wasdetermined to be 3.031 microns and the number average particle size was0.174 microns.

PEG Diheptanoate Ester Emulsion Containing Anionic Surfactant

A solution of 10% Rhodafac PA/35 phosphate ester compound in deionizedwater was added to 950 g of the Liponate 2DH emulsion prepared above togive a Liponate 2DH plus phosphate ester emulsion.

Results

The results obtained from these tests are shown in Table 4, below.

TABLE 4 Anionic Surfactant Improves Lubrication by a PEG EsterLipophilic Emulsion Lipophilic Anionic Initial Worn and LubricantEmulsion Surfactant COF Wetted COF PEG diheptanoate ester + − 0.15 0.52PEG diheptanoate ester + + 0.12 0.23 with phosphate esterConclusions

These results demonstrated that including approximately 5000 ppm of aphosphate ester compound in a lipophilic emulsion of a PEG esterdiminished the increase in COF resulting from spraying water on astainless steel conveyor track lubricated with the emulsion.

Example 5—Anionic Surfactants Improved Lubrication by a Trioleate EsterLipophilic Emulsion

These experiments demonstrated that anionic surfactants improvedlubrication by a PEG ester lipophilic emulsion. Specifically, theanionic surfactant containing lubricants had a smaller increase incoefficient of friction upon use of the conveyor and spraying withwater.

Materials and Methods

Short Track Test Method

For the preparations made with the trioleate supplied by Cognis GmbH,the short track test method was as described above in Example 1 exceptthat the track was a single 6.5 inch wide track that ran at 127feet/min. Preparations made with the trioleate from Clariant were testedby the short track method of Example 1. Preparations containing thecarboxylic acid surfactant were tested by the short track method ofExample 1.

Lubricants

Trimethylol Propane Trioleate Emulsion

A first trioleate emulsion was prepared from a premix of trimethylolpropane trioleate oil with emulsifiers, which was made by mixing 83.3 gof trimethylol propane trioleate (SYNATIVE ES 2964, product of CognisGmbH, Manheim am Rhein, Del.) with 9.1 g of glycerol monooleate (LUMULSEGMO-K), and 7.6 g of 20 mole ethoxylated castor oil (LUMULSE CO-25) andstirring until homogeneous. The clear light straw colored liquid wasdispersed and microfluidized as described in Example 2.

To 1000 g of the resulting microfluidized emulsion were added 2.5 g ofKATHON CG-ICP and 25 g of a solution of 10% dimethyl lauryl amine(GENAMIN LA302-D) plus 2.8% acetic acid in deionized water.

A second trioleate emulsion was made employing a the trimethylol propanetrioleate a product sold under the tradename HOSTAGLISS TPO (Clariant(Australia) Pty. Ltd., Melbourne, Australia). Otherwise the ingredientsin and method of making the second preparation was the same as thefirst. When measured using a Horiba 910 particle size analyzer, thevolume average particle size of the emulsion was determined to be 0.424microns and the number average particle size was 0.287 microns.

Trimethylol Propane Trioleate Emulsion Containing Phosphate Ester

A solution of 10% Rhodafac PA/35 phosphate ester compound in deionizedwater was added to 950 g of the first trioleate emulsion above to givefirst trioleate plus phosphate ester emulsion.

A solution of 10% Rhodafac PA/35 phosphate ester compound in deionizedwater was added to 950 g of the second trioleate emulsion above to givesecond trioleate plus phosphate ester emulsion.

Trimethylol Propane Trioleate Emulsion Containing Ricinoleic AcidSurfactant

A premix of trimethylol propane trioleate oil with fatty alkanolamideand long chain carboxylic acid compound surfactant was prepared bymixing 50 g of trimethylol propane trioleate (SYNATIVE ES 2964) with 60g of the short chain homopolymer of ricinoleic acid (Hostagliss L4) and30 g of a mixture of diethanolamine plus fatty acid alkanolamide(Hostacor DT, product of Clariant Corporation, Mount Holly, N.C.). Thepremix was warmed to 120 F with stirring to give a clear amber coloredliquid. The premix solution was poured as a thin stream into a stirringsolution of 150 g of hexylene glycol plus 710 g of deionized water togive a dispersion. The dispersion was hazy light yellow in color andexhibited a Tyndall effect when viewed with a laser pointer.

Trimethylol Propane Trioleate Emulsion Containing Oleic Acid Surfactant

A premix of trimethylol propane trioleate oil with emulsifiers wasprepared by mixing 168 g of trimethylol propane trioleate (SYNATIVE ES2964) with 18.2 g of glycerol monooleate (LUMULSE GMO-K), and 15.2 g of20 mole ethoxylated castor oil (LUMULSE CO-25) and stirring untilhomogeneous. The clear light straw colored liquid was poured as a thinstream into 800 g of stirring deionized water to give a dispersion. Thedispersion was microfluidized by the procedure of Example 2. A lubricantsolution was prepared by adding a solution consisting of 5 g ofmonoethanolamine, 25 g of oleic acid, and 585 g of deionized water to385 g of the dispersion.

Results

The results obtained from these tests are shown in Table 5, below.

TABLE 5 Anionic Surfactant Improves Lubrication by a Trioleate EsterLipophilic Emulsion Lipophilic Anionic Initial Worn and LubricantEmulsion Surfactant COF Wetted COF Trimethylol propane + − 0.11 0.45trioleate 0.11¹ 0.45¹ Trimethylol propane + + 0.10 0.38 trioleate with0.10¹ 0.19¹ phosphate ester Trimethylol propane + + 0.14 0.18 trioleatewith ricinoleic acid surfactant Trimethylol propane + + 0.11 0.14trioleate with oleic acid surfactant ¹second emulsion or compositionConclusions

These results demonstrated that including approximately 5000 ppm of aphosphate ester compound in a lipophilic emulsion of a trioleate esterdiminished the increase in COF resulting from spraying water on astainless steel conveyor track lubricated with the emulsion.

These results also demonstrated that including approximately 6 wt-%(ricinoleic acid) or 2.5 wt-% (oleic acid) of a long chain fatty acidsurfactant diminished the increase in COF resulting from spraying wateron a stainless steel conveyor track lubricated with trimethylol propanetrioleate ester emulsion.

Example 6—Anionic Surfactant Improved Lubrication by a Mineral OilLipophilic Emulsion

These experiments demonstrated that an anionic surfactant improvedlubrication by a mineral oil lipophilic emulsion. Specifically, theanionic surfactant containing lubricants had a smaller increase incoefficient of friction upon use of the conveyor and spraying withwater.

Materials and Methods

Short Track Test Method

The short track test method was as described above in Example 1.

Lubricants

A lubricant emulsion was prepared by mixing 100 g of Asepti Lube mineraloil (product of Ecolab, St. Paul Minn.) with 900 g deionized water. Amineral oil emulsion containing phosphate ester was prepared by adding50 g of 10% Rhodafac PA/35 phosphate ester compound in deionized waterand 100 g of Asepti Lube mineral oil to 850 g of deionized water.

Results

The results obtained from these tests are shown in Table 6, below.

TABLE 6 Anionic Surfactant Improves Lubrication by a Mineral OilLipophilic Emulsion Lipophilic Anionic Initial Worn and LubricantEmulsion Surfactant COF Wetted COF Mineral oil emulsion + − 0.14 0.49Mineral oil emulsion with + + 0.12 0.25 phosphate esterConclusions

These results demonstrated that including approximately 5000 ppm of aphosphate ester compound in a lipophilic emulsion of mineral oildiminished the increase in COF resulting from spraying water on astainless steel conveyor track lubricated with the emulsion.

Example 7—Compositions of the Present Invention are PET Compatible

This experiment demonstrated that a conveyor lubricant compositionaccording to the present invention exhibited an advantageous low levelof stress cracking in a standard test for compatibility with PETbottles.

Materials and Methods

Pet Stress Crack Test

Compatibility of aqueous compositions with PET beverage bottles wasdetermined by charging bottles with carbonated water, contacting withthe lubricant composition, storing at elevated temperatures and humidityfor a period of 28 days, and counting the number of bottles that eitherburst or leaked through cracks in the base portion of the bottle.Standard twenty ounce “contour” bottles (available from SoutheasternContainer, Enka N.C.) were charged with carbonated water from aManitowac 44MW04 table top carbonator using pre-chilled water at a fillrate of 30 seconds per bottle. The temperature of carbonated waterexiting the carbonator was between 0.3 and 0.5° C. The carbonation levelwas adjusted by increasing or decreasing the input carbon dioxidepressure to give bottles with carbonation pressure of 70±3 psi whenmeasured at 70° F. using a Zahm-Nagel Series 11000 piercing device.

After charging, all bottles were stored under ambient conditions (20-25°C.) overnight. Twenty four bottles thus charged were swirled forapproximately five seconds in test composition, whereupon they werewetted with test composition up to the seam which separates the base andsidewall portions of the bottle, then placed in a standard bus pan (partnumber 4034039, available from Sysco, Houston Tex.) lined with apolyethylene bag. For each composition tested, a total of four bus pansof 24 bottles were used. Immediately after placing bottles and testaqueous composition into bus pans, the bus pans were moved to anenvironmental chamber under conditions of 100° F. and 85% relativehumidity. Bins were checked on a daily basis and the number of failedbottles (burst or leak of liquid through cracks in the bottle base) wasrecorded.

In a modified PET Stress Crack Test, a case of 18 bottles (or 3 casestotaling 54 bottles) of Coors Lite in PET bottles were allowed to warmto room temperature and individual bottles were wetted with test aqueouscomposition up to the seam which separates the base and sidewallportions of the bottle, then returned to the plastic lined case, afterwhich the bottles were moved to an environmental chamber underconditions of 100° F. and 85% relative humidity. Bins were checked on adaily basis and the number of failed bottles (burst or leak of liquidthrough cracks in the bottle base) was recorded.

Lubricant

A lubricant emulsion was prepared by adding 300.0 g of thetri(caprate/caprylate) ester of glycerine made with lecithin (DeriphatDL10, product of Cognis GmbH, Manheim am Rhein, Del.) and 50.0 g ofLubodrive TK to 650.0 g of deionized water.

Results

The lubricant composition was tested using the PET Stress Crack Test asdescribed above wherein after 28 days of testing at 100 F and 85%relative humidity, no bottles failed out of 96 tested.

In a separate experiment, the lubricant composition was tested in amodified PET Stress Crack Test using Coors Lite packaged in 16 ounce inPET bottles. At the end of 28 days of testing at 100 F and 85% using themodified PET Stress Crack Test, no bottles had failed.

Conclusion

These results demonstrate that a lubricant emulsion containing DeriphatDL10 and Lubodrive TK provided excellent PET compatibility.

Example 8—Compositions of Present Invention are Compatible withRefillable PET Bottles

This experiment demonstrated that a conveyor lubricant compositionaccording to the present invention exhibited an advantageous low levelof stress cracking in a standard test for compatibility with refillablePET bottles.

Materials and Methods

Refillable Pet Stress Crack Test

Compatibility of aqueous compositions with refillable PET beveragebottles was determined by charging bottles with carbonated water,contacting with the lubricant composition, storing at elevatedtemperatures and humidity for a period of 51 days, and evaluated thedegree of crazing of the bottle. Standard refillable 1.5 L bottles(available from Amcor PET Packaging Deutschland GmbH, Mendig, Del.) werecharged with carbonated water. The carbonated water was produced by asolution of 22.5 g sodium hydrogen carbonate and 35.62 g phosphoric acidin 1500 g DI-water. The carbonated water had a content of 4.0 vol-% ofCO₂. 23 Bottles were filled with carbonated water.

For bottles 1, 12 and 23 the CO₂ content was measured by a CO₂ measuringdevice (available from Steinfurth Mess-System GmbH, Essen, Del.). Theremaining 20 bottles were stored in an environmental chamber at 22° C.for 24 hours. The lube will be applied on a plate with 6 g/m². Thebottles are placed on the surface for 5 minutes. The bottles wereremoved and placed into a crate. The crate with the bottles was storedin climate chamber (available from Binder GmbH, Tuttlingen, Del.) at 38°C. and 85% RH. After 7 days the bottles were dipped again in the lubesolution. After repeating this procedure 7 times in 49 days, the bottleswere stored for one day in the climate chamber and the degree of crazingwas evaluated for each sample. The evaluation of the degree of crazingwas done according the Coca Cola—Line Lubrication Stress Crack Test.Four categories are established A, B, C, D. A: Minor, very shallowcrazing; B: Moderate, shallow crazing; C: Major, moderately deepcrazing; D: Major deep crazing.

Lubricant

A lubricant emulsion was prepared by adding 300.0 g of thetri(caprate/caprylate) ester of glycerine made with lecithin (DeriphatDL10, product of Cognis GmbH, Monheim am Rhein, Del.) and 50.0 g ofLubodrive TK to 650.0 g of deionized water.

Results

At the end of 51 days of testing at 38° C. at 85% relative humidityusing the above described test method, the degree of crazing of alltested bottles was for all bottles at category A (minor, very shallowcracks).

What this example shows is that a lubricant emulsion containing DeriphatDL10 and Lubodrive TK provides excellent PET compatibility.

Conclusion

These results demonstrate that a lubricant emulsion containing DeriphatDL10 and Lubodrive TK provided excellent PET compatibility withrefillable PET beverage bottles.

It should be noted that, as used in this specification and the appendedclaims, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural referentsunless the content clearly dictates otherwise. Thus, for example,reference to a composition containing “a compound” includes a mixture oftwo or more compounds. It should also be noted that the term “or” isgenerally employed in its sense including “and/or” unless the contentclearly dictates otherwise.

It should also be noted that, as used in this specification and theappended claims, the term “configured” describes a system, apparatus, orother structure that is constructed or configured to perform aparticular task or adopt a particular configuration. The term“configured” can be used interchangeably with other similar phrases suchas arranged and configured, constructed and arranged, adapted andconfigured, adapted, constructed, manufactured and arranged, and thelike.

All publications and patent applications in this specification areindicative of the level of ordinary skill in the art to which thisinvention pertains. All publications and patent applications are hereinincorporated by reference to the same extent as if each individualpublication or patent application was specifically and individuallyindicated by reference.

The invention has been described with reference to various specific andpreferred embodiments and techniques. However, it should be understoodthat many variations and modifications may be made while remainingwithin the spirit and scope of the invention.

We claim:
 1. A method for lubricating the passage of a container along aconveyor comprising: applying a lubricant composition to at least aportion of a container-contacting surface of the conveyor or to at leasta portion of a conveyor-contacting surface of the container, thelubricant composition comprising: mineral oil; and an emulsifier,anionic surfactant, or mixtures thereof wherein the lubricantcomposition is free of silicone.
 2. The method of claim 1, whereinapplying comprises spraying, brushing, wiping, dripping, or roll coatingthe composition onto the conveyor or the container.
 3. The method ofclaim 1, wherein applying comprises coating at least a portion of theconveyor surface with the lubricant composition.
 4. The method of claim1, wherein the composition further comprises an additional functionalingredient.
 5. The method of claim 4, wherein the additional functionalingredient is selected from the group of antimicrobial agent, crackinginhibitor, antioxidant, and mixtures thereof.
 6. The method of claim 1,wherein the composition creates a coefficient of friction on theconveyor of less than about 0.4.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein thecontainer comprises polyethylene terephthalate, polyethylenenaphthalate, glass, paper, metal, or a combination thereof.
 8. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the emulsifier is selected from the group ofphosphate esters, carboxylic acids, polyol, polyalkylene glycol, linearcopolymer of ethylene and propylene oxides, alcohol ethoxylate, alcoholpropoxylate, sorbitan ester, fatty acid, and derivatives and mixturesthereof.
 9. The method of claim 1, wherein the lubricant composition isfree of water.
 10. A method for lubricating the passage of a containeralong a conveyor comprising: coating at least a portion of a conveyorsurface with a lubricant composition comprising: mineral oil; and anemulsifier, anionic surfactant, or mixtures thereof; wherein thelubricant composition is free of water and silicone.
 11. The method ofclaim 10, wherein the composition further comprises an additionalfunctional ingredient.
 12. The method of claim 11, wherein theadditional functional ingredient is selected from the group ofantimicrobial agent, cracking inhibitor, antioxidant, and mixturesthereof.
 13. The method of claim 10, wherein the composition creates acoefficient of friction on the conveyor of less than about 0.4.
 14. Themethod of claim 10, wherein the container comprises polyethyleneterephthalate, polyethylene naphthalate, glass, paper, metal, or acombination thereof.
 15. The method of claim 10, wherein the emulsifieris selected from the group of phosphate esters, carboxylic acids,polyol, polyalkylene glycol, linear copolymer of ethylene and propyleneoxides, alcohol ethoxylate, alcohol propoxylate, sorbitan ester, fattyacid, and derivatives and mixtures thereof.